By David Lawani, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has rejected former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s claims over the ₦10 billion approved for Ebola emergency response, saying the fund remains untouched.
The council accused Atiku of politicising a public health concern, insisting that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and other agencies have been using existing resources for surveillance and response activities.
In a statement issued on Thursday by its spokesperson, Dele Alake, the council was responding to questions raised by Atiku over the ₦10 billion approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in June.
Atiku had questioned how the emergency allocation was being utilised and raised concerns over the circumstances surrounding the detection of an infected Nigerian who had travelled from Uganda.
The APC council dismissed the concerns, explaining that the reported case did not indicate a failure of Nigeria’s disease surveillance system.
It said Ebola has an incubation period of between two and 21 days, with symptoms typically appearing eight to 10 days after exposure.
According to the council, an infected person cannot transmit the virus to others until symptoms develop, explaining why the Nigerian traveller was able to enter the country before later reporting to a hospital, where several tests confirmed the infection.
The council said surveillance systems at Nigeria’s entry points alerted authorities to the index case and facilitated contact tracing involving 44 people who had contact with the patient.
It commended the health agencies for what it described as a robust surveillance operation, arguing that their efforts should attract support rather than political criticism.
The APC council also rejected Atiku’s allegation that a ministerial briefing on the Ebola situation was intended to discourage Nigerians from attending political rallies or voting.
Describing the claim as speculative, it challenged the former vice-president to provide verifiable evidence for such an allegation.
According to the council, the briefing did not address political rallies or voting but focused on health protocols announced by the Presidential Task Force and the need for Nigerians to comply with them.
The party’s campaign council also criticised what it described as the inappropriate linking of President Tinubu’s name with Ebola in the title of Atiku’s statement.
It argued that such framing risked turning a serious public health concern into an avenue for political ridicule, stressing that the situation demanded responsible communication and cooperation with health authorities.
The council maintained that opposition parties had a legitimate role in demanding accountability but should base their interventions on verifiable facts and avoid creating unnecessary public anxiety.
It said the ₦10 billion emergency allocation approved by President Tinubu in June remained untouched, while agencies involved in surveillance continued to deploy other available resources.
The council said the 44 contacts identified through surveillance demonstrated the importance of early detection and coordinated response in preventing further transmission.
It urged Atiku and other opposition figures to support health authorities, discourage rumours and ensure that public communication did not undermine efforts to contain the disease.
The APC also called on Nigerians to comply with health and safety protocols issued by relevant authorities, stressing that preventing Ebola from becoming a wider public health crisis should take precedence over partisan considerations.
“Nigerians deserve, first of all, protection from the deadly disease,” the APC Presidential Campaign Council said.
